


Change of Course

by starrydreams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen, Healing, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-War, Rewrite, a lot more tags ill add later, leave comments pls, possibly more ships to add later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:50:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8783848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrydreams/pseuds/starrydreams
Summary: It was over. Finally. After so many years, Voldemort was finally dead. All Harry Potter, the Defeater of the Dark Lord, wanted to do was eat a sandwich and go to sleep. Much to everyone’s dismay, he did.
Or how life goes on after the war.





	

**Author's Note:**

> so basically like. i hated the epilogue and the time jump so you know what im gonna do?? rewrite the fuckin thing. im doing her job for her she should hire me

     It was over. _Finally._ After so many years, Voldemort was finally dead. All Harry Potter, the Defeater of the Dark Lord, wanted to do was eat a sandwich and go to sleep. Much to everyone’s dismay, he did. After Voldemort had fallen to the ground, dead, everyone cheered and tried to lift the Boy Who Lived onto their shoulders. Probably parade him around a little bit, show everyone who won. That no one had to live in fear anymore. That everyone was safe. It was like Voldemort's first falling, when wizards partied in the streets with robes and didn’t care if Muggles saw them. Everyone wanted to talk to him. They wanted to ask him what and how everything happened. They wanted to talk about the Ministry and Hogwarts with him. What the future would be.

     He ignored everyone, however. He just wanted to sleep. He had no problem with talking in the morning. (Well, that was a lie, he would rather not talk about anything that had to do with Voldemort ever again.)

     Hermione and Ron accompanied him. Wizards and witches were still cheering, some starting to try and repair the castle. Harry walked silently towards the Gryffindor common room, dodging rubble and the occasional body. (He nearly threw up every time he saw one.) Catching into his discomfort, Hermione took his hand, and Ron followed suit. Together, as trio, they walked up the stairs to their common room, and then up to the boys’ dorms.

     Harry was thankful it hadn’t been destroyed. He could still sleep there. That was all that he wanted right now.

     He crawled into his usual bed and pushed his glasses on the top of his head. He rubbed his eyes and he felt the bed dip twice, and when he removed his hands from his face, he saw Hermione and Ron sitting next to him. They didn’t say anything, and that was another thing he was grateful for. They knew he wasn’t ready to talk about it, and he was glad they would wait until he was comfortable. He closed his eyes.

     Hermione was the first to speak. He could hear the hesitation in her voice, but she spoke anyway. “Do you want us to stay here with you while you sleep?” She asked with the utmost care. _She would make a great mother_ , he thought.

     “Yeah, mate, we can just hang in here with you, just in case you have nightmares or anything. We won’t mind. Anything we can do to be there for you.” Ron added.

     “You don’t have to stay here.” Harry said, after a bit of thought, opening his eyes. “I think the best thing both of you could do right now is go talk to people. Spread the word that Voldemort’s dead. Tell them how I did it. Well, when I disarmed him. I just.. I want to sleep. I can talk to people about stuff in the morning.”

     “Okay.” Hermione nodded and stood. Ron did as well, and they walked out of the room, hand in hand. Harry smiled at that, he was glad that they finally got together, even if it was in the middle of a life threatening battle.

     He slipped his glasses off and set them by his pillow. He let his green eyes shut again as he attempted to go to sleep after, probably, the most stressful day of his life. Probably. The O.W.L.S. were pretty rough. The date with Cho was pretty stressful too. So was the Yule Ball. Or when Sirius died… Or Dumbledore… Or…

     Harry groaned and pressed is palms to his eyes, watching the stars form behind them. He kept his palms against his eyes, even though it hurt after a while. He didn’t remove them when he heard the door to the dormitory open, or even when someone walked up to him. He didn’t need to, though, the voice spoke before he could ask who was there.

     “I thought you would want this.” Hermione whispered and set down a bottle of Sleeping Drought on the bedside table. She leaned down and pressed a small kiss to his forehead before  leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

     Harry smiled and sat up, grabbing the potion she had set down for him. As soon as the bottle was empty, he set it back down, and curled up on the bed again. He knew it worked fast and would keep him in a heavy and dreamless sleep. He remembered that from one of his many infirmary visits. He yawned.

_I didn’t get Kreacher to make me a sandwich_ , he thought, and dozed off into a deep sleep. It was the best sleep he had all year.

 

* * *

  

     Waking up felt weird. It was as if Harry had been asleep for a hundred years. Though, who knew, he might’ve been. He wasn’t sure what time it was when he fell asleep, and he woke up not knowing what day it was. He wouldn’t be surprised if he slept for a week and missed everything that happened.

     He checked his watch that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him. _3:02_ , it read. Judging by the light filtering through the window of the dorm, it was three in the afternoon. His gaze swept across the room. It didn’t look like anyone had slept in the room with him. It looked just has it had when he fell asleep in the first place.

     Harry got up from the bed and walked over to the window, peering out. Some things looked fixed, others still in ruins. The yard was no longer strewn with bodies, however. He entertained the idea of Professor McGonagall performing one big _Reparo_ on the castle. He would love to see that.

     As he was pondering if only one cast would work, he heard the door open. This time, he jumped slightly, startled by the noise. He turned around sharply and pulled his wand out of his pocket, however, lowered it as soon as he saw it was Ron. His best friend smiled at him, both sheepishly and sadly.

     “Good, you’re awake. Me and Hermione have been taking turns checking on you every hour between making repairs. Come on, I’m sure you’re hungry. You slept for, like, 13 hours.” Ron held out a hand for him, and Harry took it gratefully.

     They left the dorm and Gryffindor Tower. Harry worried momentarily that people would laugh or point when Ron and him walked into the Great Hall, holding hands. Then, he realized no one would be in the Great Hall. Most people had gone home, or died. He realized a moment later that they were walking towards the kitchens instead of the Great Hall. It pained him slightly because he knew that Dobby wasn’t going to be there, readily greeting him. He knew that Dobby was still buried in Bill and Fleur’s backyard, in the grave he dug without magic.

     “You okay, Harry?” Ron asked, a look of concern on his face. Harry looked down at their hands and noticed that he had been squeezing the red head’s hand. He released some of the pressure and shrugged.

     “Thinking about Dobby.”

     “We can visit him after we talk to Professor McGonagall.”

     “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

     “And we can visit your parents too if you want.” Ron added after a beat.

     Harry nodded. There was a lot that he wanted to tell them. He didn’t get to see them long when he visited last time, and now that the war was over, he wanted to tell them everything. It would probably take a while. Maybe they could just drop him off and pick him up in a couple of hours. They would say no, well, to the dropping off portion. There were still Death Eaters alive, well, and angry. They would want revenge.

     There were elves in the kitchen, which shocked him. He didn’t expect them to stay, yet, he supposed that they were loyal to Hogwarts. He was just glad that most of them were still alive, though guilt filled him at the thought of them working even after this tragedy. Couldn't McGonagall give them a break for just a little bit? They deserved one.

     “Harry Potter!” One of the house elves squeaked and bowed. The others followed his example and bowed as well. Harry’s cheeks flushed.

     “You guys don’t have to bow.” He said quietly, biting his lip.

     “Could we get two sandwiches?” Ron interjected. “Just any sandwiches, really. We need to talk to Headmistress McGonagall.”

     Harry decided not to comment on the fact that Ron just called Professor McGonagall the Headmistress. He was pretty sure that she would take the job due to the fact there was no one else who was more fit for the it than her.

     A few of the elves scurried to make the food Ron had requested. In only a couple of minutes, they had their sandwiches. Harry accepted them willingly, handing the second one to his best friend. The two thanked the house elves as they exited the kitchen, and walked towards the direction of Dumbledore’s office. Harry knew that he should no longer call it as such. It was Professor McGonagall’s now, but there was still the habit of calling the office his. Dumbledore was probably the best man who passed through it. It was an insult that Snape became headmaster after him.  
  
     He didn’t care what was in Snape’s pensive. He still had a big problem with him.

     He was pulled from those thoughts when Ron spoke the password for the office, which was “tabby cat.” Harry couldn’t help but smile at this. He wondered if all the passwords would be types of cats now. Though, it was a little predictable considering her animagus form is a cat, but he supposed there were too many breeds in order to guess correctly.

     They walked up the staircase to office, knocking once they reached the door. They let themselves in, despite the fact they heard voices coming from inside the room. Harry was not shocked at all to find Kingsley and Professor McGonagall talking. Probably making preparations for next year, if Hogwarts were to reopen. The two boys stood off to the side until the temporary Minister left.

     “Harry! Oh…” Professor McGonagall stood up and walked over to Harry, enveloping him in a hug. He hugged back, taking a deep breath. _I needed this_ , he thought. Maybe Hermione and Ron could hold him for an hour. She pulled away and spoke again, holding his shoulders. “I hope you rested well?”

     “I did. Sleeping Draught helps a lot.” Harry replied, a small smile on his face.

     “Speaking of which, Madam Pomfrey has prescribed to you a month’s worth to take if you need it. She doesn't want you addicted to it, so she had a bit of a hard time. However, she knows that you probably need it. You can go pick it up from her when you are done here.”

     He nodded, agreeing with the reasoning used.

     “Now, am I assuming correctly when I say that you want an update of what has been happening?” Professor McGonagall asked with an eyebrow raised. It was apparent that she already knew the answer.

     He nodded again and sat down in the chair in front of her desk as she rounded back to sit in her chair. Ron sat down beside him.

     “Well, Hogwarts is not set to reopen next year. However, the year after that it will be. We are making repairs, currently. Ms. Granger is helping with that. After we fix the castle as a whole, we will put new protective charms on it. Even though Voldemort is dead, there is no doubt that some Death Eaters are still alive and may target the school. Kingsley is the temporary Minister of Magic, and will remain to be until someone better comes. I believe Ms. Granger has been offered the position when she is old enough.” Harry blinked at that, mouth falling open. He looked to Ron who was grinning.

     “When will that be?” Harry asked, looking back at Professor McGonagall.

     “Well, you only have to be eighteen years old to be elected, much like the Muggle Prime Minister rule. Though, she had requested to be Kingsley’s assistant until she is at least twenty, so she has time to make up the year of schooling she lost. Seeing as she will be working at the Ministry most of the time, she will be teaching herself. I do not think that is a problem. She is the best student of.. All of your years here.”

     A big smile broke out on Harry’s face. It felt _good_ to smile like that. He was so proud of Hermione, already planning to congratulate her as soon as he finished with Madam Pomfrey. Maybe take her and Ron out to dinner. They would hate him spending so much money on them, or at least Ron would. Although, Harry didn’t really care.

     “Which leads me to my next question, Harry.” The headmistress continued, and his smile faded just slightly. “When the school reopens we’re going to need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and I was thinking… Considering you surpassed Ms. Granger in the subject, and you did teach the class while… Dolores Umbridge was here… Would you like the position?”

     Harry paused, and he heard Ron shift in the chair beside him. He considered this. Defense Against the Dark Arts was his best, and favorite, subject. He did teach the subject to a large number of people more successfully than any other teacher who had walked through while Harry was there. Well, besides Lupin. He thought of Tom Riddle and how he was just a boy when he was already planning to make Horcruxes, and how he was still in the orphanage when he became cruel. He couldn’t think of a better way of preventing that than being a teacher. Sure, if he pursued being an Auror, he could stop adults from doing bad things, but everything starts when you’re just a kid. He could prevent someone like Tom Riddle from ever feeling like they need to become someone like Voldemort. Unloved children who needed someone… Like he did.

     “I can understand if you don’t want the position-”

     "I’ll take it.”

     Professor McGonagall and scribbled something down on a sheet of parchment. She told the two that they were free to leave if they wanted to. So, they did. They stood up and walked towards the door. Harry had his hand on the doorknob, about to turn it until the witch spoke again.

     “Oh, and Harry?”

     “Yes?” He turned back to the Professor, locking eyes with her.

     “Your father and mother would be proud of you.”

     With a smile on his face, he opened the door and walked down the stairs.

     Ron and Harry walked towards the hospital wing to visit Madam Pomfrey. The redhead made plenty of “Professor Potter” comments and jokes. Harry wasn’t bothered by them, too excited by the prospect of teaching. And, after all, Ron was right. It would be interesting. He wondered what Dumbledore would say.

     Harry froze in place when he walked into the hospital wing. Nearly all of the beds were full of injured people who fought in the battle. Madam Pomfrey was in the center of it all, running around to check on people with the help of a handful of Hufflepuffs that were soon-to-be Healers. The amount of people there made him feel sick, and he had the sudden urge to lie down in one of the beds. Ron put a hand on his shoulder.

     “Madam Pomfrey.” Ron called out for him, and Harry focused on his breathing.

     They watched as Madam Pomfrey detached herself from a patient and asked a blonde Hufflepuff boy to take over for her. She walked over to them, flashing them a pained smile. She was visibly exhausted.

     “Ron, Harry, hello. Professor McGonagall told me you would come.” She greeted.

     “She told me that you prescribed me Sleeping Draught?” Harry asked, calmer.

     “Yes, yes. I shouldn’t, but you deserve it. If you run out you just come back here and ask for some more, okay?”

     “Okay."

     Madam Pomfrey walked away from them to grab a bag, and handed it to Harry; no doubt it was bigger than it looked. He checked inside and sure enough, there were thirty-one bottles of Sleeping Draught in it. Harry thanked her and she busied herself with the injured again. He wished he had enough time to ask about the condition the students were in, but he understood that it was better if she focused on healing them in the first place.

     “Come on. Let’s go find Hermione.” Ron said, and took Harry’s hand again.

     Turns out, finding Hermione wasn’t that hard. She was in the middle of the yard, helping people repair the castle. Chunks of it flew back into the structure, causing the ground to shake slightly. How that hadn’t woke Harry up, he had no idea. Hermione seemed to be leading the group, despite the fact that teachers were amongst the people helping. Once she saw them, however, she flung herself at Harry in a hug.

     “Harry! Good morning. Did you take the Sleeping Draught?” Hermione asked, pulling away from the hug.

     “I did, thanks. Madam Pomfrey gave me a month’s worth.” He held up the bag for her to see. “So, I heard you’re the future Minister of Magic?”

     Her face flushed a bit, but she looked proud as ever.

     “Harry here got himself a job teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor McGonagall asked him.” Ron joined in, grinning at the both of them.

     “Oh that’s wonderful! You did really well when you ran Dumbledore’s Army. I’m sure you’ll make a fantastic teacher.” Hermione hugged him again.

     “Listen, we’re going to go visit Dobby and his parents,” Ron changed the subject casually, something Harry could never do, “Would you like to come with?”

     “Yes, let me just go tell the others.”

 

* * *

  

     Bill and Fleur weren’t there when they arrived at the house. Ron said that they were either at The Burrow or helping out at Gringotts. Him and Hermione stood behind Harry as he talked to Dobby in a soft voice. Harry thought it was a little embarrassing to be talking to a grave, but every so often his friends would add something, which told him they didn’t really mind it. Once he finished recounting what happened, Hermione transfigured a few rocks into flowers, and setting them on the grave afterwards. The three said goodbye, and, a moment later, apparated off to Godric’s Hollow.

     Harry was shocked to find the place in a state of festivities. There was a banner hanging to commemorate the fall of Voldemort, and there were a dozen bouquets on the statue of his parents. People danced in the streets and fireworks shot from wands. _They must have been partying all night_ , Harry thought.

     Ron and Hermione took his hands again as they walked through the town. People would notice Harry and gasp or point, sometimes both. Some tried to come up to him, to talk to him or shake his hand; congratulating him. Hermione did most of the talking, thanking people for him and explaining where they were going. When she told them they were going to visit his parents, most backed off with an ‘Of course, feel free to join the party if you want to.’

     They arrived in the church graveyard, and Harry walked to his parents’ graves, almost like he was on autopilot. This time, he sat down in front of his parents, and his friends stood a little farther behind him. He figured they knew it was a bit more personal than Dobby. He had so much to tell them. He wanted to tell them everything. From when he was left of his Aunt and Uncle’s doorstep, to his new job as professor. He wished he could stop time and talk for hours.

     He could go visit them that night.

     “Hey mom, dad. So I… I did it. I killed Voldemort. It felt a little anticlimactic. I sort of expected him to burst into flames or something. But, even though most forget, he was just the same as any of us, so it makes sense he would die that way, I suppose. Dying wasn’t so scary either. I was with Dumbledore in King’s Cross, until he told me I wasn’t really dead yet. Mom.. When I died there, I realized how you could love me so much to protect me against someone like Voldemort. I did the same thing for everyone during the battle. It was... nice to protect everyone against him. None of his spells worked on any of them.”

     Harry talked a bit longer about what McGonagall had informed him of morning, and how he was going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts when it reopened. He told them about his visit to Dobby, a brave house elf he hadn’t told them about. Lastly, he whispered a promise of returning that night.

     The trio apparated to The Burrow’s front steps. Ron knocked and took two large steps back, earning a glare from Hermione, even though she did the same. When the door opened, Mrs. Weasley flung herself at the closest person, Harry, and nearly squeezed the life out of him. She soon grabbed Ron and Hermione into the hug, and shooed them inside. The bottom floor was crammed with people, and Harry couldn’t help but feel claustrophobic.

     Bill and Charlie were there, as well as Fleur. George looked a little lost without Fred, but was talking with his dad, Mr. Weasley. Ginny was there, talking to Luna (he would ask why she was there later), and Mrs. Weasley moved to busy herself with making food for all of them. Hermione went to help Mrs. Weasley, and Ron moved to go tell Bill that they had been to his house to visit Dobby. Harry sat himself down besides Luna on the couch, not daring to sit beside Ginny.

     “Hello Harry. How are you today?” Luna asked, the question catching Harry off guard. Everyone just sort of assumed that he wasn’t doing well. Nobody had asked him that all day, other than Professor McGonagall asking him how he slept.  
  
     “I’m.. a bit tired, honestly. What are you doing here?” He asked.

     “Well, my dad was imprisoned, remember? Mrs. Weasley was kind enough to let me stay here a couple of nights while they find him and he recovers.”

     “I’m sorry about that.. That was a bit my fault.” Harry admitted, feeling a small pang of guilt.

     “It’s okay, Harry, I don’t blame you one bit. He did try to hand you over to Voldemort.”

     The subject changed to lunch, and Luna’s father wasn’t brought back up again. According to Ginny, they were to eat outside on a number of picnic tables they had gotten. It wouldn’t be much, either, since there was such a large amount of people to feed. Most of the food would be spent on making dinner for everyone. Harry was fine with a light lunch, though. He had been feeling slightly on edge, and he was scared if he ate too much that he would throw it all back up again.

     Lunchtime rolled around and everyone filed out to the backyard. There, everyone sat at one of the three tables, chatting amongst each other while Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Fleur brought out the food. Ron sat on one side of him, and, once she was finished helping, Hermione sat on the other. Luna chose to seat herself across from them, and Ginny chose the seat next to her.

     It lasted much longer than it should, considering the small amount of food. Though, mostly people talked about what needed doing and what they were going to do.

     “We’re going to find Hermione’s parents in a couple of days. Un-Confund them. Would you want to come with us, Harry?” Ron said in between bites.

     “No that’s alright. I think you should be introduced first, Ron.” Harry grinned, earning a smack on the arm by Hermione. “What? He needs to meet his future in laws.” Another smack.

     “Are you sure you’ll be fine without us?” Hermione asked, concern written all over her face.

     “I’ll be okay. Besides-”

     “I can stay with him!” Luna chimed in, and Harry smiled approvingly.

* * *

 

     After lunch was said and done, Harry was shown to his room, which he would share with Ron. _As usual_ , he thought. He quickly learned the other arrangements. George and Charlie would be sharing a room, then Fleur and Bill, and finally Ginny, Luna, and Hermione. Everyone either settled in a room, or found themselves back in the living room.

     Harry had decided to settle onto the couch on the first floor with Luna, who had gotten tea for them. The two of them chatted about arrangements. Harry voiced his idea of grabbing his things and moving into 12 Grimmauld Place to which Luna agreed. They decided to start working on the place after Ron and Hermione went to search for her parents; Luna would bring a few of the things she had as well.  
  
     The dark haired boy sighed into his tea. He could finally breathe.

**Author's Note:**

> also shout out to my bomb ass bff ryan for editing this for me. ryan ur the best <33


End file.
